Court: Man pleads guilty to endangering girlfriend’s son in 2nd similar incident

Seth Nolan

Reporter

snolan@sungazette.com

An area man accused of two separate incidents of physically abusing his and his girlfriend’s children pleaded guilty for one of the incidents in Lycoming County Court Friday.

Michael Zachariah Neff, 24, pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child for being in custody of his girlfriend, Danielle Marie Parsons’, then-1-year-old son when he received injuries from April to late May of 2015.

Neff was taken into custody on March 8 for separate incidents that occurred in late January when his then-4-month-old-son with Parsons received a skull fracture, according to Montoursville police reports.

According to court records about the incidents he pleaded guilty to Friday, Parsons’ baby was under Neff’s care when he received head trauma, arm injuries and burns from a cigarette.

When asked why he was in court, Neff said, “He fell off a swing and broke his arm and I failed to report it. I didn’t know he broke his arm … I though he just hurt it.”

The prosecutor responded that, “This goes beyond one occasion.”

When being treated for burn marks and bruising on his lower thigh at Muncy Valley Hospital, the physician’s assistant said the child’s injuries were consistent with abuse, according to court records.

The charge has a maximum sentence of six to 14 months in prison and will run consecutive with the charges in the case of his son with Parsons, Judge Marc F. Lovecchio said.

Neff is scheduled to be sentenced for both incidents in front of Lovecchio Dec. 23.